Improvement in seed-planters



B. D. SANDERS.

Grain DriH.

No. 9,006. Patented June 8,1852.

Nv PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. n C.

UNITED STATES B. D. SANDERS, OF HOLLIDAYS COVE, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEED-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9,006, dated June 8, 1852.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN D. SANDERS, of Hollidays Cove, in the county of Brooke and State of Virginia, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Drills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a back view of the drill in elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the tubes underneath the hopper. The shove-rod and the heads which are on it and which work in the tubes are seen, as also the troughs that convey the grain to the leather tubes. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the drill, taken at the line X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section showing the cam which operates upon the lever that works the shoverod. Fig. 5 is a plan or birds-eye view of the hopper. Fig. 6 is, a plan of one of the hollow teeth, showing the draw-rod attached to the tooth, and the two levers, one of which acts upon a frame when the share of the tooth is thrown up by any obstruction.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in operating a shove-rod, and thus distributing the seed by means ofa cam placed on the axle of the wheels. A greater or less vibration may be given the shove-rod by properly adjusting the cam, which is divided vertically into two parts, and by having a greater or less distance between the two parts the length of the vibration of the shove-rod may be regulated so that the grain may be distributed faster or slower, as desired.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, Figs. 1, 3, and 5, represents the hopper or grain-box of the drill, constructed in the usual manner. Thehopperissupported by standards a,which rest upon the side rails, b, of the frame of the drill. Immediately underneath the drill, and placed horizontally, are two cylindrical tubes, B B. These tubes have each an opening in the upper part, through which the grain from the hopper passes into the tubes, (see dotted lines, Fig. 2,) openings being made through the bottom of the hopper, which are directly over the openings in the upper parts of the tubes. A slide, 0, works over each open- I ing, so that the communication from the hopper to the tubes may be cut off when desired. Those slides c are clearly seen in Figs. 1, 3, and 5.

O is a shove-rod, which passes horizontally through the tubes B B. (More particularly seen in Fig. 2.) This shove-rod has two circular heads, t t, upon it, a head fitting in each tube. The heads may be constructed ofleather or any other proper material.

D is a lever, which passes through an eye at one end of the shove-rod. This lever has its fulcrum at d, which is formed by apiu passing through the lever, and two plates,wl1ich are secured to one of the side rails, the lever being between the plates. (See Fig. 3.) The lower end of this lever D has a friction roller or bulb, G, which revolves as it is acted upon bya cam, E. This cam is placed upon the axle F of the wheels, (see Figs. 1 and 3,) and is formed oftwo separate parts, (see Fig. 4,) one part, f, being firmly secured to the axle and the other part, 9, moving loosely on the axle and secured to it at any desired point by the set-screw h. On each of these parts fg there is a zigzag thread or projection or, perhaps, more properly, each part of the cam may be said to be formed of a collar having azigzag thread or projection upon it. Now, it will be seen by referring to Fig.4 that the space between these projections is of serpentine form, and that the friction roller or bulb G sets in this space between the two threads or projections. Now, as this cam E revolves with the axle the inner surfaces of the threads or projections act against the friction roller or bulb G and give the lever D, to the lower end of which the friction-roller is attached, a vibrating motion, and, as it will be remembered that the upper part of the lever D passes through an eye in an end of the shove-rod O, a reciprocating motion is consequently given it, and also the heads 11 t, which are on the shove-rod and within the cylindrical tubes B B. These move backward and forward in the tube directly under the openings in the upper part of the tubes, as will be seen by referring to Fig. 2, the openings beingshownby dotted lines. Now, as the grain falls into the tubes B B it is shoved out, first at one side and then at the other, by the vibrating or reciprocating motion of the circular heads i i.

. The grain falls from the tubes into inclined troughs H H, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 3,) a trough to each tube, and these troughs convey the grain to the leather or pliable tubes I I, which fit in the hollow teeth J J.

The method in which the grain is distributed will now be clearly seen. The grain may be distributed either faster by giving the shoverod 0 a greater or less vibration or stroke. This is done by placing the part 9 of the cam E at a greater or less distance from the other part, f. It will readily be seen that if the space between the threads or projections is wide there will be less action against the friction rollers or bulb G than if the space were narrow, and

consequently less vibration of the shove-rod O and heads 2' i. The fulcrum or pin 0? of the lever D may also be placed higher or lower, holes being made for that purpose, by which the vibration or stroke of the shove-rod may be increased or diminished.

I will now describe the manner in which the lower ends of the teeth are thrown up when they meet with obstacles in the earth.

K K are draw-rods (one only is seen-see Fig. 3) secured to the front of the side rails, b, in the usual manner, the ends of the draw-rods being forked and fitting in eyes. The opposite ends of the draw-rods are forked, and in these forks the hollow teeth J Jfit. (See Fig. 6.) To the front of each hollow tooth there is a lever, L, attached to the tooth by a pivot, 70. This lever passes up through the fork in the end of the draw-rod, and is attached by a pivot, m, to a lever, M, which is attached to the draw-rod by a pivot, Z. (See Fig. 3.)

O is a frame hung loosely by pivots n to the side rail, 1). The end of this frame rests upon thelevers M M. Now, it will be seen that when any obstruction comes in contact with the shares or ends of the hollow teeth J J the shares will be thrown back and the lever L will draw upon the lever M and raise it, as also the frame 0. (See red lines in Fig. 3.) WVhen the ends of the teeth or the shares have passed over the obstruction the frame 0, by its weight, will depress the levers M M, and the teeth will resume their original position.

It may be proper to state that the hollow teeth are raised or depressed by straps P P, which are secured to the back of the teeth, the straps being attached at their upper ends to a shaft, It, which, upon being turned, winds the straps upon it and elevates the teeth, or

by unwinding the straps from the shaft the teeth are depressed.

The advantages of my drill over others are its simplicity and the trifling cost with which it may be kept in order. It is not liable to get out of repair, and is free from the wearing and cutting or grinding of the grain, which is the fault attending the distributers of other drills.

Having thus described the nature and operation ofmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The construction of the serpentine drivingcam E, the cam being formed of two parts,fg, and placed on the axle F, the partf of the cam being fixed firmly to the axle and the part -g moving freely thereon and secured at the desired point to the axle bythe set-screw h, each part of the cam being formed of a collar having a zigzag or serpentine thread or projection upon it, the friction roller or bulb G at the lower end of the lever D, fitting between the threads or projections, which act against it as the cam revolves and give a reciprocating motion to the sh ove-rod G, substantially as shown and described.

B. D. sANDna's.

Witnesses:

R. 0. BROWN, WM. BROWN. 

